Sports Trends That Really Blew Up

Fads, trends, movements—society is filled with these newly emerging and quickly fading phenomena, and sports is no exception.

There is often a predictable life cycle—a new craze bursts onto the scene and then quietly fades away to make room for something else. But sometimes, a trend blows up so much that it sticks around and becomes a tradition.

But Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com reported in 2010 that it wasn’t actually Wall who invented the dance. A Louisville man named Lawshawn "Sugar Shizz" Talbert was the first to be seen doing the dance at a club.

The Dougie

Around 2009, Lil Wil’s “My Dougie” inspired Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie,” and a revolution was born. Everyone was doing the Dougie, and of course everyone includes athletes.

You may remember the Dougie craze reaching its sports apex around 2010. At the time, Reggie Bush, Nate Robinson, John Wall and a host of other athletes had videos swirling around the Interwebs that captured their interpretations.

Although, this one of Glen “Big Baby” Davis doing the Dougie privately in his (presumably) own home, well, I could do without.

The Wave

We all know the Wave—the thing fans do at sporting events that, even after decades, they still think is somehow the coolest thing ever.

The origins of the Wave have been debated over the years. But Doug Williams in a special to ESPN.com reports that the first verified instance of it happened at an Oakland Athletics playoff game in 1981.

More than three decades of waves later, I’d say we're well past “trend” and into staple-town.

Tebowing

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Tebowing has its own website. The pose was, of course, made famous by its namesake, Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.

Tebow could often be seen in the prayer pose on the sidelines or after a touchdown. The pose quickly spread throughout the sports world and beyond, as people all over the world added Tebowing to their celebration repertoires.

Not only does Tebowing have an entry in Urban Dictionary, but it basically has one in the actual dictionary. In 2012, the Global Language Monitor website recognized “Tebowing” as a word (via USA Today) and defined it as “the act of taking a knee in prayer during an athletic contest.”